76. Meet the maestro behind these new language workouts

America the Bilingual · 76 – Season 6 – Meet the maestro behind the new language gym

The conventional description of someone who speaks as many languages as Akshay Swaminathan does is “polyglot.” But as you’ll quickly hear when you listen to this episode, there’s nothing conventional about how this Knight-Hennessy scholarship recipient and PD Soros fello w approaches languages.

There is, however, a solid commitment to use what he’s learned about learning languages to help other adults learn, too.

A LANGUAGE WORKOUT THAT BUILDS MUSCLE MEMORY

In this episode, Akshay shares with Steve how the virtual “equipment” in his new virtual language workouts will help learners become more adept at speaking a language conversationally, and more quickly.

Find the language workouts at https://sabaash.com/. Sabaash, Akshay tells us, is a word found in many Indian languages that means “bravo!” And a word close to it, bhaasha, means language.

Virtual language workouts are just part of his story. Akshay is currently pursuing an important path in medicine, which you’ll also learn about in the episode. And not surprisingly, he sees the good that languages can do in helping patients feel better. He shares a wonderful story about this with listeners.

THE LINK BETWEEN LEARNING MUSIC AND LEARNING LANGUAGES

Hear how Akshay connects the two in this link to a YouTube video that he filmed years ago, called “Fluency, Language and Music.” He was just beginning to study Chinese. You’ll hear how, even for someone who finds every language to be music to his ears, there’s a steep learning curve when the language is new.

THOSE WHO MADE THE DIFFERENCE

When Steve asked Akshay if there had been a teacher who had inspired him, Akshay couldn’t limit his answer to one. Here is his shout-out to those who made all the difference in his love and pursuit of languages, starting in middle school and continuing through Harvard, Stanford, and his graduate-level scholarship as a Knight-Hennessey Scholar: Liu Laoshi (Jennifer Liu), Reena Thomas, Giulia Mendelsohn, Theo Ballas, Tina Seelig, and John Hennessy.

HEAR THE STORY

Listen on Apple Podcasts here: America the Bilingual by Steve Leveen; on Spotify; or wherever you tune in to your podcasts.

Like our podcast? Be an ambassador for American bilingualism! Please share this episode and quiz wherever you socialize, or be a reviewer on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. You’ll be part of a blossoming bilingual America, where English unites us and our other languages strengthen us.

TAKE OUR QUIZ ON AMERICA AND BILINGUALISM

You’ll find our very first quiz, “Test Your Knowledge of America’s Linguistic Landscape, in 10 Questions,” here in our new Quizzery. See how you do—and then let us know how we did in providing an entertaining and informative quiz, on the short survey that follows. Akshay was one of our beta testers, and he shares his thoughts on the quiz in the episode.

CREDITS

Thanks to members of the America the Bilingual Project team for this episode: Mim Harrison, editorial and brand director of the America the Bilingual Project, who wrote and directed this episode; Fernando Hernández Becerra and his production house in Guadalajara, Mexico, Esto No Es Radio, which provides sound design and mixing; and Jen Cavagnaro at Daruma Tech, who manages our website.

The classical Indian music you heard in this episode is courtesy of Akshay and his father. Sam Natarajan, Akshay’s father, is playing the stringed instrument known as the veena. Akshay is playing the drum called the mridangam.

Music performances, in sequence: HoliznaCC0, 20 Minute Meditation 1; Nomadic, Pictures of the floating world; Kevin MacLeod, Quasi Motion; Sam Natarajan, thiruppAvai #01 and #02 – nAttai and gowLa.m2ts; Komiku, Helice’s theme; Loyalty Freak Music, Waiting TTTT; Ghanam Krishna Iyer, Thiruvotriyur Thyagarajan -Atana- Rupakam, performed by Shreyas Muralidharan and Akshay Swaminathan; Frederic Lardon Feat Laura Palme, Dans la méditation transcendantale; and HoliznaCC0, Sky Scrapers.